I'm new at all of this stuff. i can fly a plane really well but the RTF's just don't perform aerobatics well enough for me. I want to be able to buy just the plane because those are usually better. But i need to know what controller is best to start out with. All i fly is 3 or 4 channel planesand i want to be able to program atleast 3 planes oin the controller. Which one should i start out with?

do you mean the transmitter?

yes i meant transmitter
i told u i was new at this

any of todays radios are good... Futaba, JR, Airtronics, Hitec, etc. etc. are all fine...

sounds like a 4 channel would be fine, but I recommend at least a 6 channel so you can grow into it...

I HIGHLY recommend a computer radio... they are really night and day between them, and if you are going into 3d and aerobatics... it will make life soo much easier...

I really like the Futaba series computer radios. They are not expensive, offer v-tail, elevon mixing and exponential throws. Futaba 6EXA FM is being auctioned on ebay for 50 to 100 dollars. Check towerhobbies.com for their price.

I recently converted my planes over to standard electronics and checked around for a good 6 channel transmitter at a reasonable price. JR had just came out with the new Sport line this summer of computer radios. I picked the JR SX600 Sport computer transmitter. If sells for $150 and features 10 model memory, expotential, dual rates, v-tail, delta, and other flight modes. The package I bought had four servos with it that were too big for park fliers but the RX (600 Something), while not as small as the JR Sport 6 channel RX, is small and light enough to use in most planes. I think you can also customize your package with smaller servos and such at the same $150 price tag. Only thing I didn't like was the battery pack that came with the radio would only last about an hour a charge. I fixed that by picking up some Energizer 2500MA Nimhs at Walmart and installing them into an 8 AA holder that fits nicely inside the radio battery compartment.

Well, perhaps the best question to start with is "What is your budget for the radio (transmitter)?"

Only computer radios have model memories, so you're going to go with a computer radio.

I think Hitec is going to discontinue their Flash5 radio soon. I scored one on ebay for my dad for $156. That is a screamin' deal, since it included a receiver, receiver battery pack, charger for receiver and transmitter battery packs, and 4 servos. It just so happens that it will easily plug into my radio so I can train him. The Flash 5 has 5 model memories and 5 channels. (the 5th one being for retractable landing gear or flaps)

I bought an Optic 6, with Spectra module, which has 8 model memories. It cost $220, but didn't come with a receiver or servos, so it wasn't such a good value.

I'd look on ebay, find a lightly-used computer radio and bid. The Futaba 6 channel computer radio is kind of a stripped down radio for the money. Most people prefer the Optic 6 for about the same money.

If you can wait a couple more weeks, Spektrum is coming out with their spread spectrum radio. It includes servos, receiver and never needs crystals. As long as you're doing smaller parkflyers and not huge models at more than 1/4 mile distance, it should be just the thing.

Jeremy

Again, check into the new JR Sport line of radios. Can't be beat for the money...For $150 (or it might be $159) you get a 6 channel computer radio, 6 channel RX that is small and light enough to use in almost anything, four servos, rechargable transmitter battery, wall charger, a flight battery pack (for gas model planes that don't have an onboard battery to power the RX/servos), an on/off switch wiring harness for the ESC/RX. I think you can get the radio with whatever size servos and RX you'd like. The radio features 10 model memory, expotentional, dual rates, V-tail, Delta Wing, Flaperon, and numerous other features. While the 600 RX that came with my standard package is plenty small enough for small electrics such as the Stryker, I use that RX in the Extreme and put a JR Sport 6 channel RX in my smaller planes.